Changes
by light4dawn
Summary: It's March 4th, 2006 and a newly phased Jacob is frustrated. Under orders by Sam to stay away from Bella, but wanting to be with her more than anything else, he finds a way to seek out what he wants. Oh! But it's not like the way it happened in the book! That was on a completely different day, much later! This is a completed one shot story.


_Changes has undergone a lot of changes! _

_This was one of my entries for the JBNP 3rd Anniversary One Shot contest. Unfortunately, I was unable to come up with ideas for a story until the last minute, then came up with two! That being said, this was written and sent to get beta'd by the amazing, kind, and nitpicky **leelator **within a very short period of time. I literally begged her and she stopped work on her own update (don't throw stuff at me, she's already posted this chapter!) to beta this for me. In any event, it got back into my hot little hands an hour before the deadline. Due to the rushed editing job I was forced to do, predictably, there were errors. The story remains the same, but a lot of the wording has changed and/or been corrected. _

_Thank you, **leelator**, writer extraordinaire, scrutinizing beta, patient friend, and supporter of all writers! I am so glad you were home when I needed you that night! _

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**Disclaimer: **_All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

_Some of the dialgue in this story was taken directly from New Moon and Eclipse (the books), and/or movies of the same. This was done to ensure characterizations were canonical. Since a great deal of the events in this one shot were similar to those depicted in the source material, it seemed likely that the characters in question would say similar things in response to these similar situations._

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**Changes**

It was one year ago when it all started, and I was probably the idiot who gave her just enough information to get the ball rolling. Today marked a whole year that I had been in love with Bella.

_Jacob, my orders will not change. I forbid you to see her or tell her anything!_

I couldn't even reminisce in private. Being a wolf sucked.

_She already knows, Sam._

_She knows about **them,** not us._

_She'll figure it out, especially now that she's seen us in the meadow._

_I doubt she's going to put two and two together from **that**. Did you see the look on her face when we appeared? Bella nearly shit her pants!_

_Shut the fuck up, Paul! _

I phased human, my only escape from them.

We had strayed far in our search. The three of us, Sam, Paul and I, had gone far east of Forks looking for the rest of the dark-haired dude's coven.

The walk back to La Push in human form would take hours, but my choices were limited. I didn't have a car, and I didn't want anyone inside my head. The last thing I needed was for Sam to _order_ me to stay phased or something. Fucking Sam. I hated him, I hated being a wolf, and I hated Bella—sort of.

No matter how long I lived, no matter what explanations she had, I would never understand how she dated one of _them_ knowing what she knew. I mean, she must have kissed him at least. They looked pretty damn cozy at the prom last year. She probably knew all about Dad's cryptic message and still pretended like it was a joke. Had she snickered at me behind my back with her boyfriend? Maybe.

But I still loved her.

My mind drifted back weeks to when she used to laugh at my jokes, smile at the sight of my face, and invite me to hold her hand. That was the reason I didn't notice the car on the other side of the road make a sudden U-turn. It passed me and slowed down just ahead, pulling over onto the shoulder.

It was a police cruiser—a _Forks_ police cruiser. What were the chances it would be the deputy?

I trotted over at a seemingly normal pace thinking about what I must look like. I had no shoes, no shirt, and probably a head full of leaves and twigs. What was I going to tell Charlie?

Charlie's head poked out of the driver's side window and turned towards me. "What the heck you doing out here, Jake?" he hollered from the car.

"Nothing really, just … uh … some of the guys played a prank on me."

"And they left you out here in the middle of nowhere, half-naked and with no shoes?" He had gotten out of the car, and his arms were crossed in front of him, obvious disapproval on his face.

"They're probably on their way back to get me."

"I just drove from that direction, and let me tell you, no one's 'on their way back.'" So much for sticking up for the Quileute Nation.

"Then I guess they're all a bunch of assholes." Not the type of language I would have chosen if I'd thought about it, but I hadn't been at my best lately.

"Watch your mouth, or I'll have Billy wash it out with soap."

"Sorry …"

"Get in the car."

"I'm fine. Besides, you were headed in the opposite direction."

"I'm not about to leave you out here half-naked and barefoot! Get in the car!"

"Sure, sure, Charlie. Thanks," I muttered, walking to the passenger side.

The journey west began in silence, which suited me fine. I kept my face turned away, and looked out the window. I knew Charlie wasn't one to start a conversation and relied on that. Too much had happened in the past couple of weeks. I wasn't ready to talk about it and certainly not with Bella's father.

"These friends of yours, the ones who left you stranded, are they the reason why you've been so busy lately?"

"Sort of."

"Bella really misses you, son."

"Mmmhmm." What else was I supposed to say?

"She's starting to get sad again. Not like last fall, but not as happy as she was before, you know, like at that spaghetti dinner." He _had_ to bring that night up, didn't he? It was only one of the best nights with Bella I'd had so far. Who was I kidding? It _was_ the best night I'd _ever_ have with her because there would be no more of them.

"Sorry to hear that."

"Look, Jake, I know you've got your own friends and things, but I'd sure appreciate it if you'd spend a couple of hours with her, or even give her a call. If not for her, then as a favor to me. You know I don't like asking people for things, but she's my little girl, and you were the only one who was able to help her last time."

What was a guy supposed to say to _that_? How could Sam order me to say no to Charlie when he was begging! Maybe this wouldn't be part of the order.

"Sure, Charlie, I can vi–" Shit, that wasn't going to work. Sam's edict physically prevented me from finishing my sentence. "I want to help, Charlie, and not because it'd be a favor to you." Okay, _that_ worked. Like all rules, even alpha orders had loopholes.

"You'll see her and talk to her? Jake, that'd mean a lot to me. I don't want her to go back to the way she was last fall. You must have noticed in the beginning, when you first started hanging out, that she looked liked the walking dead?"

"Yeah, I noticed, and believe me, Charlie, the last thing I want is to see Bella unhappy."

"Then stop by the house now! I mean, you were prepared to walk all the way back to La Push, so you must not be busy today … or tomorrow for that matter." He took the time to look over at me and roll his eyes. "You _do_ realize you were more than thirty miles away, right?"

I shrugged. "I guess."

"Okay, so you'll come over?"

Shit, I had answered his question about distance, not the visit, which was why Sam's orders hadn't stopped my reply. _Now_ what?

"You're not busy right now, are you?" Seemingly benign questions appeared to be okay too.

"Nope, not at all," Charlie answered.

Life no longer felt dismal. There was hope. All I had to do was think of what to tell Bella and how to get around Sam's order so I could actually _say_ it.

The rest of the drive passed quietly. Charlie had what he wanted, and so did I. I didn't want to risk saying anything that would prevent me from going to Charlie's.

When we got to his street, he did a strange thing. Instead of pulling into his own driveway, he drove around the block and parked on a different street. I decided not to ask questions.

"Okay, here we are," Charlie announced, as we walked around the corner and approached the house.

"Where's her truck?" I asked, taking note of the empty driveway.

"She's at work, but should be home any minute now." Charlie walked up the path to the door. I followed suit, shoving my hands into my pockets. On the front porch, he turned around and looked me up and down. "Do you think you can put on a shirt, Jake?"

"I don't have one." Seriously, the guy couldn't figure _that_ out?

"Yeah, I know _that_! I meant _would_ you put on a shirt, you know, if I gave you one? Not only is it too cold to be prancing around half-naked, but it might be … uh … distracting for Bella, or something." Charlie blushed and must have known he had because he looked away quickly, pretending to unlock the front door, which we both knew wasn't locked.

"Sure, sure," I replied aloud, but on the inside I cringed, wondering what horrible shirt I'd be stuck wearing. Other than his vast collection of plaid, I'd only seen t-shirts with cheesy beer or fishing jokes on them.

The moment he stepped into the house, Charlie went upstairs, presumably to get a shirt, but probably just as much to get away from me until his face returned to its usual color.

I heard her truck coming up the street the moment Charlie's foot hit the first step. Sometimes, Bella had impeccable timing. When she pulled into the driveway, he was upstairs muttering under his breath about how his shirts weren't long enough, young enough, or in good enough shape to lend me. It made me a little uncomfortable knowing my looking nice for Bella mattered so much to him. I knew he liked me well enough, but still … A girl's dad wasn't supposed to _help_ a guy go after his daughter. Not unless the guy was a complete brown nosing dweeb, which I'd like to hope I wasn't! Shit, I was a goddamn werewolf for Christ's sake!

The door of the truck slammed shut, and I froze in the entryway, staring at the handle as it turned. The front door opened and she stopped dead in her tracks, surprised to see me.

"Jake? You cut your hair!" She reached out to touch it, but pulled her hand away at the last moment. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey." Guess that didn't really answer her question, but I had to feel the waters first and find out what was, and wasn't, going to be allowed.

"Why didn't you return any of my calls?" Her eyes drifted down my body, taking in my bare chest, the tattered jean shorts, my mud splashed legs, and bare feet.

"What are looking at?" The best thing about the whole stupid wolf thing was it gave me the kind of muscles guys had to spend half their days in a gym to get.

"Huh?" She looked up at me quickly, her cheeks flushed.

"What are you looking at?" I asked. The door was still open, causing sunlight to spill into the house. "Am I sparkling in the sunlight?" I asked. Yeah, it was a low blow, but hey, I had waters to test out. Her jaw dropped, and her eyes bugged out.

"Wh … what did you just say?"

"I was asking you what you're looking at." What had happened to my voice? Why did it sound bitter and sarcastic? Had I changed _that_ much in two weeks?

"No … nothing."

"Didn't look like nothing to me." I snickered. I was making her uncomfortable, and a part of me enjoyed it. Actually, almost _all_ of me enjoyed it. She glared but said nothing. Bella was never good at quick comebacks, especially if it meant she had to lie. "What? Does my being half-naked bother you?" Holy shit! Had that _actually_ come out of my mouth? It would appear my balls had grown with the rest of me. Again, her mouth dropped open, and this time her cheeks turned bright red.

"You still haven't answered me. What are you doing here, and why haven't you returned any of my calls? And don't tell me you were sick because it's obvious you haven't been sick in quite some time!"

"Uh … I had stuff to do?"

_Way to sound confident, Jake. _

"What 'stuff'?"

"Just … stuff."

"What are you keeping from me?"

"I didn't realize we were sharing all our deep, dark secrets with each other now." Why did that ugly voice have to come out again?

"I'm not the one keeping anything from you!"

"Who are you kidding? You're keeping things from everyone, me, Charlie, and for what? To protect those leeches!" Shit, how had I been allowed to let _that_ out? Oh. That wasn't _our_ secret.

Bella was stunned into silence.

Where the hell was Charlie? How long did it take to find a decent shirt? There was no movement upstairs. I could only assume he heard Bella come in and decided to give us some privacy. I wondered if he'd heard my "leeches" comment, and if so, what he thought it meant.

"I … I don't know what you're talking about … "

"You don't have to pretend, Bella. I know _everything_."

"Is that why you came here … to argue with me, and say cryptic things?"

No, it wasn't. I was losing sight of my goal.

"I'm sorry, Bells … for all of it, not returning your calls, not visiting, everything."

"Well, you're here now."

"Yeah, I am."

"Let's start again."

"Okay."

"Are you all right, Jake? Did something happen to you? Is that why you haven't been returning my calls?" Did she _know_ I needed these prompts? Could she read my thoughts too?

"Yeah, something h … h … h–" Sam's injunction wouldn't allow more.

"What's wrong, Jake? You're not choking are you?" Bella grabbed my arm and her other hand tapped my back. Her cool fingers on my bare skin made me dizzy. "You're so … hot, like that night at the movies." The hand left my back and reached up, resting on my face. "You're still sick!"

"I'm not sick." I grabbed her wrist, pulling her hand off my cheek. "This is how I am now, how I'll _always_ be from now on."

"I … I don't understand."

"I can't tell you." What could I say? Sam had ordered me against telling the truth. What was left?

"Why not? Someone's making you stay away from me, aren't they?"

"What makes you think someone's doing that?"

"Because I know you."

"You _think_ you know me, just like I _thought_ I knew _you_," I spat out. I wanted to take it back, to become the sunny boy she loved, but he was gone. The wolf had eaten him alive.

"You're not making sense!"

"For someone who has all the facts, you seem to understand nothing!" I swore to myself that I'd beat the crap out of Sam once I got home. I didn't care if he killed me in the process, or that none of it was his fault. And where on God's green earth was Charlie?

"Why do you say I have facts? What facts? I know nothing! I have _no_ idea what's going on with you! So far, my best friend has disappeared from my life and … and I'm alone … again."

Tears eyes welled up in her eyes, and she closed them, squeezing with her fingertips. It didn't work. Tears ran down her face, and she wiped them away fiercely. Her face was pinched with the eyebrows furrowed to form that small wrinkle between them. She was angry she had shed tears for me. For _him_ she shed tears of sadness; for _me_ she resented feeling anything.

"Do you know what today is, Bells?"

"Today? You mean the date?"

"Sort of … it's an anniversary for us."

"An anniversary for what? It's been almost three months since I came to you with those bikes?"

"An anniversary is an _annual_ event." I was being a smart ass. She didn't like it.

"I guess I haven't been keeping track. Tell me, what monumental event occurred on March 4th last year?"

"It was the day we first met."

"Jake, we met ages ago as kids. Remember, mud pies, and the whole jazz?"

"It was the day we first met _on our own_ without our dads dragging us along with them. It was the day I fell in love with you."

"Don't be ridiculous! You can't fall in love with someone you barely … know … " Why had she trailed off? Something had struck a chord and made her think of _him_, again.

"You don't sound so confident."

"I just … I didn't know that you … " she stammered, unable to complete her sentence.

"You knew. I haven't been subtle, Bells."

"I know," she whispered, her head bowed. "I … you … "

"Yeah, you've already told me. It's not the same for you. Look, the reason I came by was to make sure you were okay. Charlie's worried."

"Charlie? You talked to my dad?"

"Yeah, he's upstairs trying to find a t-shirt for me." Or not. He had done this on purpose, hiding his car and staying upstairs. Charlie must have wanted Bella to believe she was alone with me, so she wouln't suspect an intervention. "Look, can you tell him I said thanks? I have to get going now." There was nothing more to say. Actually, the truth was, there was nothing more I was _allowed_ to say.

It didn't matter anyway. I wasn't sure I wanted to tell her anymore. I'd seen her face and knew it was all true. All along, she had known what the Cullens were. Sure, I suspected as much, but a tiny part of me hoped she hadn't known. It pissed me off, but it also meant she'd maybe, possibly, be okay with who—no, with _what_ I was. I only needed a way to tell her … _Tell_ her, the ultimate of impossible tasks.

"Jake, wait!" She reached out and grabbed my hand. "How are you getting home? I didn't see your Rabbit out front, or the bike."

I shrugged. "I can walk."

"You're kidding, right?" She looked down at my bare feet, then on the floor around the entryway. "You don't have shoes! La Push is far enough away, never mind without shoes! Are you crazy? Here, I'll give you a ride back."

"I don't want you to go out of your way for me."

"It's not out of my way if I _want_ to drive you home. Besides, we have more to talk about."

"Wait up!" Charlie finally made an appearance. He bounded down the stairs and nearly tripped over one of them in the process. Guess the apple didn't fall far from the tree. "Here, Jake, I got a shirt for you." He tossed a crumpled bundle that I caught and opened up. It was an old shirt from a Rolling Stones concert. It was likely older than me, but at least it didn't have a picture of salmon spawning on it.

"Uh, thanks, Charlie." I put it on, knowing it was going to be too tight. There was no reason to piss _him_ off.

"You're welcome. Bells?"

"Uh huh?"

"Don't worry about rushing back to make dinner. I'll order us something, okay?"

"Oh, um, okay, sure."

It was only two-thirty in the afternoon! No wonder she looked embarrassed. That was Charlie-code for "You kids take as much time as you to get back together, you hear?" and we both knew it.

Similar to the drive in Forks with Charlie, the trip to La Push with his daughter began in silence. The difference time was this time, I didn't wait for a Swan to break it.

"You remember how I said it was an anniversary today?"

"Yes …" She didn't want to hear me say I loved her.

"Do you know what day I'm talking about now?"

"The day on the beach."

Whether my half ass plan would work was a mystery, but I I wasn't ready to give up yet. Losing her forever wasn't an option. The only chance I had of keeping her in my life was for her to _guess_ the truth.

"Do you remember what I said about–" Okay, _that_ wasn't allowed. I hated this. Every time my words were stopped, it made me choke like I had lost air. "The …what …"

"You mean the stories?"

"Yes!"

_Come on, Bella, guess! You know this! _I thought.

"What about them?"

"It's what's ha–" I gulped, trying to get rid of something in my throat that wasn't physically there, but felt like it was. "Do you remember what they were about?"

She chewed her bottom lip and hesitated before answering, "You mean … the cold ones?"

_Don't blow your top, Jake. There's a reason why that's what she remembers._

"Yeah."

"I don't understand. What does a story have to do with what's happening to you?"

"I wish I could tell you, Bells, but I literally can't."

"You can't, or you won't?" she said accusingly.

"I can't—but you can guess."

"How am I supposed to guess? I have no clue what we're talking about!"

"Tell me, what else you remember from the sto … from the day at the beach?"

"I don't know! What do you _want_ me to remember, Jake!" She was frustrated, made apparent by her now erratic driving.

"Anything, Bells, anything you can remember, except the cold ones."

"The stories…they were old legends from your tribe, sort of a secret …"

"That's it! Think, think harder!"

"Something about origin of the Quileutes … I can't, Jake!"

She swerved, barely missing an oncoming car. Bella screamed, startled by the close call. Grabbing hold of the steering wheel, I turned toward the shoulder, reaching over Bella with my leg so my foot pressed down gently on the brakes.

Once we stopped, and I was out of the way, Bella's arms fell onto the steering wheel, and her head fell onto them. Muffled sniffling could be heard in between hiccups.

"It's okay, honey. I'm sorry." I ran my hand over her soft hair breathing in the strawberry scent. A few strands remained stuck to the sides of her face, wet from perspiration and tears.

"I don't understand, Jake! Why did you abandon me? And what were you trying to say about Ed … about the Cullens? I can't take it, Jake. I know it's selfish, but I need you so much!"

Her words were breaking me. But that wasn't nearly as bad as the possibility I was be breaking her.

"Bella, look, I … I have a secret, but it's not just my secret. That's why I can't tell you. That's also why I couldn't talk to you, or see you."

"But you're here now, talking to me, seeing me."

"Because I bumped into Charlie by accident. You see, there are … rules, and going along with Charlie didn't break them."

"And calling me would? Whose 'rules' are these?" She went from sad to irritated, as realization set in. It wasn't long before rage consumed it all. "It's Sam, isn't it? You're part of his cult! He found some way of getting to you, didn't he?"

"This isn't Sam's fault." I hated his orders, hated the way his words bound me, but I knew he did it to protect all of us, including Bella. "He's not who I thought he was. Sam … he's actually _helping_ me."

"Helping you how? By making you stay away from your friends? How's that helpful?"

My hands reached up into my hair, and formed into fists. "Argh! Bells, this is killing me! Please, guess! I _need_ you to know!"

"I can't play this game!"

"It's not a fucking game!" Oh, why, oh why did I have to choose _that_ word? It was as though the damn wolf had eaten up everything in me that was good. "I'm sorry, Bells. Look, I'm not the same anymore." My throat tightened telling me was treading on thin ice.

"Why? What happened to you, Jake? What made you change?" She saw it too, and it wasn't the haircut she noticed either. I wanted my life back. I wanted _us_ back.

"The cold ones made me change," I hissed bitterly.

Her body pushed back, away from me, her eyes never leaving mine. "That … that's an old myth. That's what you told me it was, a scary story, remember?"

"Maybe I called it that, but you knew better, didn't you?"

"I didn't know anything."

"You suspected."

"How … no … I don't know…I mean, I don't know what you're talking about." She was lying. I knew now that she probably had no interest in me the day we bumped into each other at the beach. She needed something, and I had it.

"There was more you know."

"Yeah, I … I'm not sure if I remember the rest."

"Of course, you remember everything about those damn bloodsuckers, but not me."

"Wha … who … ?"

"You can stop lying now—Charlie's not around." I suppose to be fair, she didn't think he was around the first time she denied it, either.

It stopped her cold. The tears, the anger, everything disappeared. Her eyes searched. Was she trying to determine what I knew or what to do?

"How does it concern you?"

"I'm part of it."

"You're not like _them_." She was giving me a little. It wasn't much, but it was something.

"No, I'm the opposite." The last syllable was barely audible because the ice had gotten paper-thin now.

"_You_ are? No, you're strong. _I'm_ the opposite, not _you_!"

"Bells, you're _nothing_ to them!" Her body caved, and her face contorted from physical pain. Why did they still matter to her? It wasn't natural.

"I know," she whispered, not able to look me in the eyes.

"Bells, tell me what I am! If I'm the opposite, what am I?"

She looked up, confused. "I … the opposite of a cold one?" I nodded. "Something warm?" I nodded again, feeling more enthusiastic. "Something from the story?"

"Yes."

"The Quileutes from long ago?" My voice had been taken away completely now. I pleaded with my eyes. "They were descended from something, some animal … a bear?" I shook my head. "A mountain lion?" Mountain lion? Where the hell was she coming up with this? I shook my head again. She looked ready to give up when suddenly, her eyes lit up. "Wolves! The legend said your people were descended from wolves!" I nodded vigorously. "But that's just a legend."

I pushed myself, forcing air into my lungs, forcing my mouth to release the words perched on the tip of my tongue. "C … cold ones … are they legend?" She didn't answer, and she didn't look away. Her eyes said yes even if her mouth said nothing. "Y … ye … yester … day … m … m … mead … ow."

She knew.

"You where _there_?" She was stepping out onto the ice with me. I nodded and took her hand, knowing together we could guide each other to safety without falling through. "But Laurent …" Was that the name of the dark-haired leech? "He should have killed…" Her hand shot up to her mouth. "You … you're a … werewolf?"

I was released. My voice, my body, my heart were finally free of Sam's chains.

"Yes, Bells, yes. I'm sorry I had to turn out to be a monster."

"But Laurent…" Again with the fucking leech!

"He's dead. I hope he wasn't a friend of yours."

"No, he was going to kill me, but how? Vam … they … he's really strong, and fast."

"We're faster, and stronger. Shit, can you give us _some_ credit? There were five of us and only one leech!"

"The hikers! Are you … it was you!" What the hell was she talking about now? The hikers? What hikers? Oh, the _missing_ hikers.

"Yeah, it was us trying to protect them."

"Protect them? By killing them?"

"What? We're not _killing_ anyone! At least not humans!"

"Then who's killing them!"

"Well, your friend, Laurent for one, and his … mate. By the way, that's the only thing we _do_ kill, vampires."

Would her eyes ever close again? Had she even _blinked_ during this conversation?

"How? I don't understand. Did you get bitten?"

"I'm not some freakish dead thing, like the Cullens." She cringed. "I was born with the gene, and when the damn bloodsuckers moved into town they set it off, starting the change."

"But they left."

"Not soon enough. The process had already begun, and there's no going back once it starts."

"So Sam, and his cult … Embry too?"

"Yup, and probably Quil next."

"Quil? Because he's big?"

"That, and he's running a temperature."

"The fever … mono …"

"Yeah, we run a little hotter than most," I tossed it out casually, smiling at her. She smiled back. "You're not disgusted by me?"

"What for?"

"For being a monster."

She shrugged. "Seems like it's become a part of my life."

"You know, the nice thing to have said would be 'Oh, no, Jake! You're not a monster at all!'"

She _giggled_! "You'd have to be close to normal human size for me to say _that_!"

Her words breathed a bit of the boy I used to be back into me. We were going to be okay now. If this couldn't break us, nothing could.

"Thank you, Bells."

"For what?"

"For not being afraid of me."

"The only thing that scares me is the thought of losing you."

Her hand reached out resting on my cheek. I moved in, our faces close. She stopped, ready to turn away. My first thought was to pull back, to be the nice boy she had sought comfort with, but I didn't. I couldn't let this moment pass.

I pulled her close, and she inhaled sharply. Her mouth opened, perhaps to protest, but I put my finger on it, silencing her.

"I love you, Bells. Let this happen, let me have this one moment, and if it's one sided, this'll be the only time, I promise."

She didn't answer, but she didn't pull away. I took my opportunity, knowing if I waited too long she'd come up with an excuse. Why was she afraid to open her heart to me?

Her lips were cool, smooth, and soft. They were still, almost frozen with fear, but gently I coaxed them. She began hesitantly but became self-assured, as the weight of her body rested on mine.

Bella's hands crept to my chest, my arms, around my neck, and into my hair. Her temperature rose, her breathing became labored, but nothing slowed her down. Everything about the way she moved, and the way her hands hungrily searched my body told me she was looking for something.

Our caresses, our kisses, became gentler, slower, until they were soft, feathery touches.

"Charlie …" she whispered, her eyes still closed.

I pushed her away from me.

"What?" I exclaimed.

"Huh?" Her eyes shot open, and she looked around in confusion.

"You said 'Charlie'!"

She giggled. Seriously, was this _funny_? She slapped me playfully on the arm.

"Don't look at me like that! Jeez, Jake! I just saw him in my head."

"And the reason I _shouldn't_ look at you like you're a sick freak is because …?"

"Because I didn't see him in _that_ way! God! He's my _father_!"

"Then why the hell are you seeing him while I'm kissing you?"

"I saw a lot of people, not just him! It was like a dream with you, me, Charlie, Renee, Billy, even Sam, Quil and Embry, and a couple of … new people."

"Well, let's not forget the lady who runs the diner in town…"

"It was nice, Jake. Like a peek into the future."

"Oh yeah? Was I still hot?" Again, she slapped me on the arm. I'd have to let her know she shouldn't do that. Already, her palm was getting red.

"It was this, us, the kiss, like it changed … everything, or least that it _could_."

"Do you want it to? You know, change everything?"

"Yeah. Yeah! I think I do." She leaned in again, and this time it was me who hesitated. Both her hands reached out, one on either side of my face. "Actually, I _know_ I do."

I relented, giving in to her, to changes, good and bad. Maybe she didn't realize it yet, but _I_ knew. A year ago, I fell in love with her, and finally, she'd fallen in love with me. It was our anniversary, one that I'd remember for the rest of our lives.

* * *

_So, did you like it? Yeah? If you left a review, I'd be really happy and reply to it as soon as possible. _


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